Diocese of the Great Lakes

A History of the Diocese

    This jurisdiction was constituted in 1998 when the bishops of the Independent Anglican Diocese of Ontario and the Independent Anglican Missionary District of the USA approved the merger of the two in order to create a new, self-governing "Diocese of the Great Lakes" serving Eastern Canada and the neighboring American states. DGL Clergy and parishes are currently located in Michigan and New York.  An active program of ministry to nursing homes is maintained.

   Over the course of its history, the Diocese has worked for the advancement of Continuing Anglican unity in cooperation with a number of other church bodies. It was a member of the Anglican Church, Inc. prior to the dissolution of that body and was a founding member of the NORTH AMERICAN ANGLICAN CONFERENCE that promoted mutual assistance among Evangelical Anglicans.

   In 2001, the Diocese of the Great Lakes entered into an agreement of mutual assistance and full communion with the UNITED EPISCOPAL CHURCH OF NORTH AMERICA. In July, 2014 the DGL was received as a member diocese of the United Episcopal Church.

  We are not aligned with the Charismatic or "Ecumenical" movements, are not a member of such organizations as the National or World Councils of Churches, and are not related in any way to dioceses that were formed more recently in other denominations and given names similar to ours.

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LINKS

Worship in the Diocese of the Great Lakes:

--Ss. Andrew and Matthias Independent Anglican Church, Hastings (Village of Irving), MI  -- Rt. Rev. David T. Hustwick, Rev. Paul Henderson

  Also worshipping at Woodlawn Meadows (Hastings), Thornapple Manor (Hastings), Hanover House (Hastings), and Harvest Pointe (Hastings) nursing facilities (see above link) . 

--St. Stephen's Anglican Church, Williamsville, NY --  Rt. Rev. Paul Slish

--All Saints Anglican Church, Traverse City, MI --  Rev. Kurt Henle, Rev. Winston Rowlett

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Beliefs and Practices

Biblical

We believe the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments to be the inerrant Word of God, and that they contain all doctrine necessary to salvation.

Creedal

We accept the Apostles’ Creed, Nicene Creed, and the Athanasian Creed as valid  summaries of the Christian faith. 

Confessional

We maintain the Reformation heritage of  Anglican Christianity.  Our clergy assent to the Thirty-nine Articles of Religion (1571/1801) as being in accordance with Holy Scripture. 

Liturgical

Our worship is scriptural, reverent, and historic, dating back to the earliest days of the Christian Church. We use the 1928 (USA) Book of Common Prayer and, in Canada, the 1962 edition of the Book of Common Prayer. 

Sacramental

We believe that the sacraments of Baptism and Holy Communion were instituted by Christ, are generally necessary for salvation, and are effectual signs of God’s grace. 

Confirmation, Holy Matrimony, Holy Orders, Penance, and Holy Unction are sacramental in character, but do not have the same nature as Baptism and Holy Communion in that they were instituted by the Church and lack a direct mandate from our Saviour Jesus Christ.

Evangelical and Catholic

Evangelical means "of the Gospel" and does not denote a particular form of church government or form of worship. We in the United Episcopal Church and the Diocese of the Great Lakes are evangelical in the sense of being committed to Biblical doctrine and to preaching the good news of Jesus Christ. 

We are Catholic in the sense of being committed to the faith of the whole Church as it was delivered to the Apostles and as it existed during the first few centuries of the Christian era.

Apostolic

The Church maintains the ancient, catholic form of church government which is episcopacy, i.e. governance by bishops in an historic succession stretching back to the Apostles. The Diocese of the Great Lakes and the United Episcopal Church maintain the scriptural practice of ordaining only men to the orders of deacon, presbyter, and bishop.

Pro-life

In accordance with the Affirmation of St. Louis (1977), we believe in the sanctity of human life from conception to natural death.

Pro-marriage

The United Episcopal Church of North America and this diocese hold that marriage should be a life-long union between one man and one woman. We also accept that marriages can and do fail, and we seek to extend proper pastoral support to those whose marriages have failed or are in danger of failing.